


Shakespeare’s In Love

by vangoghspaint



Category: SHAKESPEARE William - Works
Genre: F/M, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Mild Sexual Content, Sexual Content, Shakespeare, Shakespearean, based on shakespeare’s Writings, shakespeare was bi, that gay shit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-28
Updated: 2019-12-28
Packaged: 2021-02-19 06:56:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22006963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vangoghspaint/pseuds/vangoghspaint
Summary: Does he not bring me a joy few have ever felt? Does he not cause the sun to rise and fall? Does he not cause my lungs to breath and my very heart to beat? Has he not done more for me in my short time of knowing him than anyone in all my years of life ever had? Is that not love?Based on Shakespeare’s writings and theories about his sexuality: After William’s mistress introduces him to one of her other suitors, What happens when the two men start an affair of their own?
Relationships: Shakespeare/Fitton, shakespeare/Anne Hathaway, shakespeare/William herbert
Kudos: 2





	1. Act One; Scene One

In a small back room of a pub, William and Mary laid in a dirty, unmade bed. Their bodies still bare and the light of the candles shining an orange glow over them. William, sat up on his elbows, was looking down at Mary’s body, admiring each curve and shadow.

“What is it that you gaze upon so lovingly,” her quiet but harsh voice asked. William looked up to her eyes where they were fixed on him. 

“Nothing but the lovely creature that lays before me,” he answered before leaning down to kiss the curve of her stomach.

“You call me lovely now, but in your sonnets you compare my hair to wire and my breasts to dun.” William halted his lips and leaned back up to look at her. She was now staring up at the dark ceiling of the room, listening to the sounds of the other patrons drinking and laughing outside the door. 

“I do this because you are lovely,” William said, his voice soft but still talking over the noise outside. “Your skin is not pale, your eyes do not shine, your voice is not sweet. But because of these things you are lovely. You’re the most beautiful thing I have ever laid my eyes on.” 

“Do not try and talk out of this,” Mary said, turning her eyes back to the man above her, her brows furrowed. “I know what that mouth of yours can do.” William smirked at this and leaned down to kiss her stomach once more, keeping his eyes fixed up at her.

“Do tell” he said between kisses, “what can this mouth of mine do?”

“Lie. Spin tales and talk out of apologizing,” she said, unwavered by his menstrations.

“But I do not lie to you, my love. You are beautiful. Laid out before me now, bare and open to my viewing, all I see is beauty.” He stopped to send her a wicked smile. “And breasts of dun.” He laughed as she pushed him off of her before she sat up to glare at him.

“You kid, but you have yet to apologize!”

“Why apologize when I know you will always return to me and my embrace?”

“Because you hurt me,” Mary shouted. “Why should I be expected to return when you do not treat me as I deserve to be?”

“Because you love me, my dear,” William said lowly before leaning forward to kiss her shoulder. This wavered her anger only slightly.

“You are not the only one I love.” He pulled back with a laugh.

“Oh? And who else do you love if not only me? Does he have more money? More fame?”

“Yes, and he says I am beautiful too,” Mary said decisively before turning away from him again.

“My dear, I have only called you beautiful.”

“He calls me other sweet things as well.”

“And who is this man you hide from me? Will you ever tell,” William asked as he rested his chin on her shoulder. 

“William Herbert. The third Earl of Pembroke.” William fell back onto the bed, his body overcome with laughter. “Why do you mock me,” Mary shouted at him, pounding her fist against the mattress beneath them.

“You claim to know the Earl,” he asked through his sniggering.

“I do not claim! I do know him!”

“How pray tell do you know the Earl?”

“We have a relationship not unlike our own,” Mary said with a raised eyebrow.

“You are his mistress?”

“Yes, and he loves me,” Mary said, turning away from him once more.

“I am sure he does, but he is unable to love you as much as I do,” William said, lowering his voice to try and ease her anger.

“I would not know for certain.”

“Well we must find out,” he exclaimed, jumping up onto the floor with a loud thump and causing his companion to look back at him with shock. 

“What are you on about,” she asked.

“We must find out if the Earl loves you as much as I! I must meet him!”

“He’s invited me to a party in the summer home the night after next.”

“Then we shall go to this party and you shall introduce us,” William shouted excitedly as he started pulling on his clothes.

“You expect me to introduce the two of you?”

“And I shall show you how much more I love you than this William Herbert,” he declared, paying no mind to her arguments.

“You kid yourself! He is a very popular man, I doubt he will speak to us long,” Mary said.

“Then we must give him reason to,” William shouted as he stood up on the bed half naked, smiling down at his mistress who laughed up at him.

“You wild man! You may try, but I cannot guarantee your success.” 

“But I can guarantee my love for you, and the night after next I shall prove it!”


	2. Act One; Scene Two

The party had started hours ago and Mary had long since arrived by the time William walked through the doors and into the bustle of activity. People of all creeds and classes talked and joked surrounded by the glamorous interior of the mansion.

“William,” a familiar voice shouted over the noise, causing him to look to the source. 

“Thomas! My dear friend,” William shouted back before making his way over to where his companion sat, a drink in hand.

“What brings you here tonight,” Thomas asked once his friend reached him.

“Love, dear Thomas. I am accompanying Miss Mary Fitton this evening.”

“You best be careful. The Earl Herbert is rumored to fancy Miss Fitton.” A scowl crawls across William’s face.

“So I’ve heard. And have you seen the Earl this evening?”

“Just across the room,” Thomas answered, pointing with his glass. “Talking to your lady friend.” William looked to where his friend pointed and found the two across the parlor, chatting against the fireplace.

“Good eye, Thomas. We shall have to reacquaint later this evening,” he said before he started to make his way over to his mistress and the man who was trying to woo her.

“You say so now,” Thomas muttered to himself with a smirk as he watched his friend wander off.

William came to a halt next to Mary, wrapping his hand around her waist and smirking at the nobleman in front of her, the man’s face falling into annoyance once his conversation was interrupted.

“My dear Mary, who is this you are speaking to,” William asked smugly.

“This is William Herbert, the host of this marvelous party,” Mary answered, her voice high with annoyance.

“And what a party it is,” William exclaimed. “What a pleasure it is to make your acquaintance, my lord.” The Earl smiled at this and extended his hand.

“Likewise, sir Shakespeare. I must say, I have seen quite a number of your plays. Your writing is magnificent, you have quite the gift.”

“Thank you, my lord.” William turned to smile down at Mary. “You hear that, my love? The Earl has seen my plays.” Herbert’s smile fell again at this action.

“How do you know Miss Fitton, if I may ask,” he asked tightly.

“We are very close companions, aren’t we Mary?”

“As close as companions can be,” she giggled up at him.

“I see,” the Earl said dryly. Suddenly, he forced a smile back on his face. “Sir Shakespeare, would you like to join me in my library for a taste from my personal cellar?”

William’s smirk and attitude dropped. In a serious tone he answered, “I would be honored, my lord.” 

“Let me greet my other guests, then I shall retrieve you.” With that the Earl walked back into the crowd of his party, leaving the two alone. Once he left, William let his smug attitude return. 

“It appears as though I’ll have a private audience with your love.”

“What are you thinking? Why would you agree to his invitation,” Mary asked, worried for the outcome of the meeting.

“To do what we came here for. He’s angry, is he not,” he asked with a grin.

“Very. I think he may be on to you.”

“And what do I have to fear other than losing you?”

“He’s an Earl. There’s quite a few things he could do.”

“Such as?”

“He could tell your wife of us. Then you will lose me. What then,” Mary asked, growing more hysterical. William took her by the arm and led her away from prying ears into a corner of the room.

“He’ll tell no one of us, my love.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“If he were to, I would simply tell others of his own sins.” Mary’s eyes widened in shock.

“You wouldn’t dare.” William simply smirked down at her until he was interrupted by Herbert walking back over to them.

“Sir Shakespeare. Are you ready to retire to the library?”

“Of course, my most gracious host,” William answered.

“Keep that mouth of yours shut,” Mary whispered to him.

“How could you expect any less of me,” he said before following after the lord. He looked back and gave her another smug grin. 

The two men entered the library. It was empty but the size of the room echoed the soft noise that came in from the party. They walked over to where a bottle of wine sat on a table and Herebert began to pour it into glasses.

“This is one of my finest bottles. I save it only for my closest friends.”

“You say that, but we have only just met.”

“Yes, but we’re closer than we appear to be, are we not,” Herbert asked as he handed William his glass. 

“I’m sure I do not know what you mean.”

“We love the same woman,” the host said before taking a drink, pulling his glass down from his lips to reveal a smile.

“You make such a claim after only a short meeting,” William asked.

“You made it apparent enough.”

“What do you plan to do with the knowledge? Blackmail me? Tell my wife?”

“No. If I do not keep your trust you have no reason to keep mine,” Herbert explained.

“Then what is the reason for this meeting, my lord? I cannot imagine you are pleased with the knowledge that I love the same woman as you.”

“I was not. You are ignorant and loud mouthed. In fact, I had first planned on arguing with you.”

“But you do not wish to now,” William asked before taking a drink of his wine.

“I had wished to see what Miss Fitton could possibly see in a man such as yourself,” Herbert continued, ignoring William’s question. “A writer with more arrogance than he knows what do with. Unfaithful to his own wife.”

“I feel the need to remind you that she is your mistress as well, my lord,” William said in a harsh voice, his anger towards the Earl growing.

“But I no longer wish to argue,” he said, his voice chipper and once again ignoring his guest. “And I no longer wish to try and understand the mind of Miss Fitton.”

“Forgive me, Earl Herbert, but is this not an argument? Are you not angered with me and I, you?”

“You may be upset with me, dear Shakespeare, but I do not feel the same towards you,” he said with a smile.

“And how could that be?” William watched as his host set down his glass and stepped towards him, his smile still etched on his face. Outside the crowd laughed while the library remained silent.

“You came into my home, insulted me, and mocked me with my own mistress.” For a moment, William thought the man was going to strike him, but his voice was so sweet and calming he whipped the thought from his mind. “But now I see it,” Herbert continued.

“See what,” William asked, his own voice sounding unsure.

“What has Mary so enamored with you.”

“What do you mean, sir?”

“I could not for the life of me understand why she would waste her time and good talent on someone such as you. But now I do. You are pompous, unfaithful, and you have a mouth you don’t know when to shut.” William glared at him as he spoke. Herbert only stepped closer.

“You say these like they’re good attributes, yet moments ago you used them to mock me.” Herbert smiles down at William, the shorter man unable to hold his eye. 

“These attributes are why she is so caught up in you. They are what make you so interesting.”

“I could not know what you mean, sir,” William said, growing the nerve to glare up at the Earl.

“Give it time.” Herbert stepped away from him and headed to the door. “I must return to my party now but please make enjoy yourself,” he said before walking into the hallway, leaving William alone in the room. 

He stood there for several moments, frozen in shock. As he thought over the conversation his anger boiled over and he swiped the wine bottle off the table before going to find Mary. She was chatting with another woman until William took her by the hand and dragged her away.

“What is it,” she asked.

“We must be leaving,” William said as they pushed through the crowd towards the main entrance.

“Why? What on earth did you two discuss that made you so upset?”

“He mocked me,” he growled out.

“Mocked you,” Mary asked, stopping in her tracks and forcing him to finally turn and look at her. “What could you possibly mean?”

“He said that you waste your time with me. That you love me because am arrogant and unfaithful. He said these things as though it was a compliment when it never could be.” As William spoke a dreaded feeling of familiarity washed over his companion.

“Take me home, William. I am done with this evening.”

“I could not agree more,” he said, not noticing Mary’s shift in mood.


	3. Act One; Scene Three

A week later William was having lunch with Thomas when his maid brought in his mail. A letter sent from Herbert’s address started the stack and William threw all others to the side to rip it open first while his guest looked on in confusion. He read over it quickly, clutching the fragile paper in his tight grip as he turned to his friend with a glare.

“The man has no morals! No idea of when he goes too far,” he shouted.

“What man, William,” Thomas asked, grinning at the sight of his friend so riled up.

“The Earl! He mocks me at his party then continues with this letter!”

“What does the letter read?” William uncrumpled the paper and read the writing in an exasperated tone.

“Sir Shakespeare, I was so glad to have you in attendance the evening of my party. You were a most amusing guest and I do hope to make your audience soon. Signed, W.H.” William slammed the letter down onto the table and turned to his friend who was drinking his tea with an amused grin. “Did you receive such a letter,” he asked him.

“Nothing more than a thank you.”

“This is abuse of the highest order! I must respond,” William shouted before he stood out of his seat and went to his desk in the parlor. Thomas followed slowly after him, eager to see what he would write. He stopped behind him and looked over his friend’s shoulder to watch him messily scribble his message.

“Why has the Earl gotten you so upset? It’s nothing more than a letter.”

“It’s more than a letter! He thinks he can make a fool of me! Well, I shall show him that when he sees a fool in me I am simply reflecting his own image,” William answered as he continued his wild scribbling.

“What are you writing anyhow?”

“I am taking him up on his offer and inviting him to tea. Then I shall put him in his place!”

“His place,” Thomas asked with a laugh. “And where would that me?”

“Wherever I decide to put him,” William shouted just as he finished his letter. He stuffed it into an envelope and wrote out the Earl’s address, being careful not to smear the ink.


End file.
